


Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

by scarletsaber (sushibunny)



Series: Makoharu Halloween [4]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Never Met, I suppose, M/M, Magical Artifacts, Maybe- It's Hard For Me to Tell, a bit spooky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 04:15:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8431480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushibunny/pseuds/scarletsaber
Summary: Haru doesn't like much about his new home, everything seeming dull and boring compared to his old one in the city. Until he finds an old mirror in his bedroom, one that holds a secret he wasn't expecting.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For the lovely merthumblr- whose AO3 I cannot find lol- who was kind enough to give me the prompt for this (at the end so not to spoil).
> 
> I hope you enjoy this one ^^

Haru was not impressed as he stood at the top of the long stone stairs, looking up at their new home. It was big and old, nothing like their old apartment had been. 

“Haruka, come along.”

He followed after his mother, one small hand tightening around the strap of his backpack as the other clutched his stuffed dolphin closer to his chest. He could remember the house from when his grandmother lived here, but it had seemed warmer then somehow, and not quite so large and foreboding. But that was probably because of her kind and gentle presence, which was gone now. 

Haru stopped in the doorway, looking around as his mother continued on into the mostly unpacked house. His father had arrived a week earlier to do some “spring cleaning” and make sure all their things arrived from their old home. Haru didn’t really understand what that meant- the chill of fall was in the air and the leaves had all turned; it definitely wasn’t springtime. 

But he guessed it really didn’t matter. All that did was that his parents had decided to uproot their entire lives and move to this small, dull town from the city after his grandmother had passed a few months ago; something about the house having been in the family for generations and his father being loathe to sell it. So everything Haru knew had been ripped away and there he was, stuck in a new town, in a house that wasn’t unknown to him, but felt completely different without his grandmother’s touch.

Eventually his mother retrieved him from his sentry position in the doorway, guiding him up to his new bedroom- at least that was more familiar, the same bed he had used when he visited his grandmother was in the room, along with most of the same furnishings. Haru didn’t mind, he hadn’t been particularly attached to any of the furniture in their old home. As long as his pencils and drawing pads had made the move he would be content.

His mother set him to work unpacking his things, tasking him with putting away his clothes and toys while she checked on the rest of the house. It already seemed full of their things, most traces of his grandmother removed. His father had unpacked a lot even as he started a new job while waiting for Haru and his mother to join him. 

Unpacking was tedious but not difficult, Haru found. Folding his clothes and sorting his books and toys was preferable to helping his mother reorganize the kitchen- which is what he guessed she was doing based on the clanging of pots coming from downstairs. It was almost dinnertime when he finished, pushing the last empty cardboard box into the hallway before turning back to look at his freshly unpacked room. He was satisfied with it; there had been a place for everything, just the way he liked it.

As he observed the space that was now permanently his own, his gaze caught on something shiney tucked between his headboard and the wall. Haru frowned as he walked over to investigate, wondering what could be back there. It took him some time and effort to pull out the heavy object- scraping the floor a bit in his efforts-  but he eventually managed and then his eyes went wide as he recognized the mystery item.

It was his grandmother’s mirror, a large, antique piece that looked about as old as the house. It had been Haru’s favorite thing of hers. He had always felt drawn to it for some reason, spending long periods of time staring at the swirls and curves of the gilded frame during visits. His grandmother had always said the mirror was special, though it had always just looked old to Haru, if not pretty. He barely had a chance to wonder if his grandmother had purposefully left it in his room for him when his parents walked in, his father just home from work.

“Ah, Haruka, what do you have there?” his father asked, walking up to him and kneeling down.

“Grandma’s mirror.”

“That should have been put in storage with the rest,” his mother tutted, frowning at the item from across the room.

“Must have missed it somehow,” his fathered said, reaching out to take the mirror and presumably follow his mother’s wishes.

“No!” Haru cried out in an unusual show of emotion. His parents stared down at him in surprise before he continued. “I want to keep it.”

His mother frowned. “That isn’t suited for a young boy.”

“Please.”

His father appeared torn for a moment before he looked back at his wife. “I don’t see any harm in letting him have it. You’ll be careful with it, won’t you Haruka? No touching?”

“Mm.”

They both looked over at his mother for the final decision, Haru’s eyes wide and silently pleading.

“Alright,” she sighed after a long moment, unfolding her arms as if giving up a long battle. “But after dinner. Go wash up, Haruka.”

Haru hurried to follow her directions, pleased he would get to keep the mirror, even if he wasn’t exactly sure why he wanted it so badly in the first place.

After dinner his father hung the mirror on the wall in Haru’s bedroom. It was lower than most mirrors in their home, as Haru was only eight and wouldn’t be able to see into it otherwise. It hung across from his bed, reflecting the light of the window above his mattress back at him as he stared into the old silvered surface.

“Looks good here,” his father noted, standing up and brushing off his hands.

Haru silently agreed.

“Ah, I almost forgot! Here, this is for you, Haruka.” His father handed him a small wrapped candy, which Haru took after a confused moment. His parents didn’t often give him sweets, and he was unsure of why his father did so that night. Maybe for the move? “One of my new coworkers is American and celebrates Halloween. Apparently it’s a holiday where America children dress up and go around their neighborhoods collecting candy. He heard about you and gave me this for you. Halloween is tomorrow, so I suppose it’s alright for you to have it now.”

“...Thanks.”

Haru stared at the candy for a moment before unwrapping it and popping it in his mouth. It was caramel. Haru wasn’t fond of caramel. He finished it anyway under his father’s watchful gaze, earning himself a smile and a pat on the head before he was told to get ready for bed.

Even though he had been tucked in and wished goodnight by 8PM, Haru was still awake when the clock on his nightstand read midnight. Staring at the glowing red numbers for a few seconds Haru sighed. He wasn’t sure what was keeping him awake, he was usually out like a light when he went to bed.

Restless, he turned over in bed, looking across the room and catching the shine of the mirror in the dim light of his room. It took him a few moments of staring, but eventually Haru noted something strange about the reflection. It looked… off. Haru raised his head off the pillow as he squinted at the mirror. Most of the image seemed fine- his bed and nightstand were in their rightful places, and the window above his bed was clearly visible too. But there was a chair at the end of the bed in the mirror that wasn’t in Haru’s room, and a dull blurred light in one corner of the mirror indicated the presence of a nightlight Haru didn’t own.

And the most notable difference was the boy looking back at him sitting up in bed, staring at a still laying down Haru.

A light flashed across the window in the reflection, but not in Haru’s room, and the mirror boy jumped, wrapping his blanket around his head in fear. Haru didn’t move. About a minute passed and still nothing happened, the mirror image unchanging. Haru slowly got out of bed, moving closer to the mirror- curious, confused, and a bit afraid. The mirror boy slowly pulled the blanket off his head, locking eyes with Haru- who had ended up right in front of the mirror- and seemed to scream- though Haru could hear nothing from the mirror- and ran out of the room. 

Haru quickly followed suit, spending the rest of the night on the couch.

The next night Haru stayed awake on purpose, staring at the mirror from his bed, unsure if it had all been a dream or not; unsure what he wanted it to have been.

When his clock struck midnight again, the reflection seemed to waver, changing slightly to reveal the other room Haru had seen. The other boy was sitting up in bed, much like Haru, hugging a flashlight, clearly afraid. Haru slowly walked over to the mirror again, determined to understand what was going on. The other boy watched carefully, nervously clutching his flashlight tighter. Haru pressed his hand to the mirror, noting it was solid but no reflection of his hand- or himself- appeared on the surface. He looked up again, locking eyes with the other boy and watched with mild guilt as he jumped up and fled the room again. Haru waited for awhile, hoping the boy would return, until he began to get very tired and headed back to bed to rest.

The next night Haru left a lamp lit in front of his mirror so the other boy could see him and hopefully not be scared. When his clock read 12:00 again, Haru looked up, seeing the mirror boy’s room lit up completely. It was much like Haru’s- white walls and a wooden bed, though the boy seemed to favor green in his accessories where Haru preferred blue. The boy was curled up on his bed in a blanket, watching the mirror intently, and clearly surprised to see a light on in Haru’s room. 

Haru slowly approached again, sitting in front of the mirror calmly and waiting. The boy slowly unwrapped himself enough to walk over, blanket falling around him like a protective cape. He hesitantly sat down, mirroring Haru and looking on attentively. Haru slowly held his hand up to the mirror, happy when the boy eventually followed suit. He couldn’t feel the other boy’s hand when they both touched the surface of course, but he swore his hand felt warmer just the same. 

The other boy’s eyes went wide, and he looked back from their hands to Haru, smiling broadly, eyes closing and head tilting to the side. Haru’s eyes widened, but he found himself smiling softly back. Their eyes met again and Haru thought that maybe that was his new favorite shade of green. 

The other boy must have heard something on his side of the mirror, because his head whipped to the side and then he was scrambling up, shooting Haru an apologetic look before he flipped off his light and hurried into bed. Haru saw light flood the room as from an open door and he quickly shut off his own lamp. He watched as who was probably the boy’s mother walked over to the bed and Haru moved stealthily to his own, though he knew his own mother wouldn’t be coming to check on him. He crawled under the covers as the mirror boy’s mother walked out, taking a double look at the mirror for a moment before shaking her head and leaving. 

Haru wondered if she could see him too, just like the boy. He was too tired to think further though, and quickly fell asleep.

As time went on, Haru and the boy continued to meet for a few minutes most nights. The first thing they did was share their names by writing them on paper, the mirror boy using thick green crayon, adding a smiley face at the end of his name: Makoto. Haru is sure he mouthed “nice to meet you, Haru!” when Haru introduced himself, and it make Haru look to the side, blushing.

Years passed like that and Haru and Makoto kept each other a secret. The mirror was just for them, and neither wanted to share the discovery with anyone else. Sometimes Haru wondered if his grandmother had known the secret of the mirror, if that was why she called it special. But the answer seemed unimportant; he had Makoto regardless.

It was difficult to talk at first, eight year olds not well known for their quick and efficient writing skills. But as they got older that became easier and more effective, as did their ability to communicate without words. Haru supposed it was only natural that after years of midnight meetings they learned to interpret silent cues and realize what the other wanted to say before they had finished writing it down. Sometimes they didn’t even try to communicate- though Makoto liked to write him notes- content to just sit together in the ever present silence. It was comforting, oddly enough. 

They couldn’t always meet; sometimes one was too tired to stay up late enough, sometimes they were sick or out of town. And Haru always missed Makoto when he couldn’t see him at night. But they did their best, seeing each other more often than not, and becoming best friends as time went on. 

Before Haru noticed they were in high school. Their curriculums were similar and they helped each other with homework when they could. For Haru it was like having his own private literature tutor. In turn he did his best to help Makoto using his own academic strengths, but no matter how much time he put in, Makoto was never able to manage more than a stick figure for his art assignments. He didn’t seem to mind though, constantly gushing over Haru’s artistic abilities whenever he could, and never failing to pull a blush from Haru in return.

It struck Haru one day, near the end of high school, that they’d never told each other what they planned to do after; not that he himself had any plans, but Makoto must. They’d talked about just about every other aspect of their lives, how Makoto was afraid of the ocean and how Haru could eat mackerel for every meal- and would if his parents would let him- but never that. Haru asked one day and Makoto looked surprised but was quick to tell him. He was going to move to Tokyo for college soon, wanting to become a teacher. After that Makoto looked sad for a moment and hesitated before writing more. His parents didn’t want him to take the mirror with him, he wrote. Apparently it was an antique and they didn’t want to risk him breaking it in his student apartment. He gave Haru a sad smile and it was the only smile of Makoto’s Haru never wanted to see again.

He tried not to look as devastated as he felt as he stared silently back at Makoto.

The day before Makoto moved they spent all night together, mostly just sitting there, trying to memorize the feeling of being in the other’s presence. Makoto looked sad when the sun started to rise, the image wavering as the connection faded. He pressed his hand against the mirror one last time, and Haru did the same, feeling suddenly desperate as he met those familiar eyes for what could be the last time. His throat felt tight as Makoto slowly faded from his view, replaced by his own reflection, and Haru felt a hot tear slide down his cheek before he roughly brushed it away, crawling into bed and curling up, planning to stay there all day.

A few weeks later Haru found himself in Tokyo. He hadn’t planned on going to college, unsure what he wanted to do with his life, but apparently his parents had other plans for him, applying in his stead and getting him into a school there. Haru wished he had known earlier, then maybe he could have made plans with Makoto, but now there was no way he would ever find the other boy in a city of millions. 

If he was even real, that is. 

Haru had always had a small niggling doubt in the back of his mind that his mirror friend was only a dream. He had never told anyone, not his parents or few friends. Something had told him that Makoto was only his. And now he was regretting that selfishness, because he had no proof that Makoto had been real and not just a figment of his imagination.

But he had seemed so real, had been real to Haru. Was it possible to fall in love with a dream? Because that’s what Haru realized had happened, after the third sleepless night after Makoto had moved, as he stared at the mirror that only showed him a dull, empty room. His chest had ached, heart feeling just like Makoto’s room, and he had understood that this was more than just missing a good friend. It felt like a piece of him was missing, and he realized it was. Because Makoto held a part of Haru’s heart, and though it hurt like nothing Haru had ever experienced before, he didn’t want Makoto to give it back. 

He had to be real.

But now he’d never know. Unless perhaps he managed to catch Makoto during a school break; he was definitely the type to go visit his family home during breaks, right?

Haru was still in his own little world as he made his way up to his new apartment, fumbling to fit the key into the old lock, not paying attention to anything around him. There was a thud off to his right, but he paid it no mind, finally managing to get the door unlocked and open when a call of his name stopped him short.

“Haru?”

It was barely above a whisper, but something about the voice pulled at him, made him turn his head, keys falling from his suddenly slack grip.

There was a tall boy standing in front of the apartment next to him, broad shouldered and brown haired, looking at him with an open mouth, though the corners of his lips threatened to twitch into what Haru knew would be a large, eye crinkling grin.

And his wide eyes were Haru’s favorite shade of green.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: What about an AU in which Haruka and his parents move to a new house and there’s a peculiar looking mirror in Haru’s room and at night he can see the reflection of another boy (Makoto) that lives at the other side of the mirror or something like that? And they get to know each other?


End file.
